October Revolution 1917: Key Events, Figures, and Historiography

On what date did the Bolshevik Central Committee finally vote to seize power?

10 October 1917

Which two prominent Bolsheviks opposed the planned armed uprising?

Zinoviev and Kamenev

What organization was set up by the Petrograd Soviet to direct the military takeover?

Military Revolutionary Committee (MRC)

What was the Bolsheviks' membership by October 1917?

Approximately 200,000 to 250,000 members

What specific action by Kerensky on 23 October gave the Bolsheviks an excuse to act?

He tried to close down two Bolshevik newspapers

On what night did the Bolsheviks seize key points like the telegraph office and railway stations?

The night of 24-25 October 1917

Which battleship fired a blank shot to signal the start of the attack on the Winter Palace?

The Aurora

At what time did the Bolsheviks finally capture the Winter Palace and arrest the Provisional Government?

2:00 am on 26 October

How many people were estimated to be actively involved in the Petrograd uprising?

25,000 to 30,000

How did Alexander Kerensky escape Petrograd during the revolution?

He borrowed a car from the American Embassy

What was the name of the new all-Bolshevik cabinet formed after the revolution?

Sovnarkom

Who was the Chairman of the new Sovnarkom government?

Vladimir Lenin

Which decree legalized the peasants' seizure of land?

The Decree on Land

What secret police force was established in December 1917 to root out opposition?

The Cheka

How did the Bolsheviks gain a majority at the Second Congress of Soviets?

The Mensheviks and right-wing SRs walked out

What is the 'Totalitarian' or 'Liberal' view of the October Revolution?

That it was a classic coup d'état by a small minority

What is the 'Revisionist' view of the revolution?

That it was a popular movement driven from below

Why did the Bolsheviks create the myth of the 'Storming of the Winter Palace'?

To provide popular legitimacy for their regime